At CUBE solidarity = Reflection, Listening and Action

we stand in solidarity with organisations and individuals who are working to dismantle racial injustice

Many protestors, mainly young, took to the streets across Europe to stand in solidarity to say ‘Black Lives Matter’. Black Lives Matter is more than a trend, it’s more than a popular hashtag, it’s an issue that is inbuilt into the systems of the society of which we live in! One blackout post, a few #blacklivesmatter hashtags is not going to cut it, it requires fundamental change.

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We at CUBE are outraged to the core by the murder of George Floyd on 25 May. We are restless because this horrific incident is not a one off! This is not a one off occasion, these issues have not just suddenly happened. As Fatima Zaman and We Belong Yasmine Ouirhrane states in their open letter, everything that is going on, “opens up decades worth of pain for Black communities…this isn’t just about police brutality or violence. It’s a post-colonial matter”.

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“These issues are not solely situated in the US. Europe has a long history of oppression which resonates implicitly and explicitly in society today”

These issues are not solely situated in the US. Europe has a long history of oppression which resonates implicitly and explicitly in society today. It is of no surprise that black and minority groups have been disproportionately affected by Covid19. The system is flawed because it was built to the privilege of white people. This pandemic has brought to the faultines a lot of problems that have been growing for a long time!

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At CUBE solidarity = Reflection, Listening and Action.

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At CUBE we stand in solidarity with all organisations and individuals who are working to build a just future. We don’t have to accept a society where racism is the norm! Where racism is built into the very structures and systems of which we operate. Where it takes a black man dying at the hands of law enforcement for black voices to be heard across the globe. And even so we see comments such as “its horrible that an innocent black man was killed, but damaging property has to stop” how about “its horrible that property is being damaged, but killing innocent black people has to stop”.

Current events continue to detail whose voices get heard in society and whose voices continue time and time again to be marginalised, silenced and discredited.

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CHANGE is going to require ongoing commitment, ongoing reflection, ongoing honest discussion and ongoing action. Large numbers of young people are currently heading out and seeking to rewrite what is possible! And at CUBE we are here for the long haul, committed to supporting young people in being loud and in claiming their right to co-decide for their future!

The ongoing events that have transpired these past few weeks are heavy, distinctively for black communities, for whom, structural racism and racial bias is a confronting, painful and frustrating everyday reality. As European May reminds us “racism is not getting worse, it is getting filmed”. We employ our supporters to reflect on your privileges, commit to listening and learning and take action to dismantle structural racism within the spaces and platforms of which you occupy.

“…reflect on your privileges, commit to listening and learning and take action to dismantle structural racism within the spaces and platforms of which you occupy”

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We have included some useful links that us at CUBE use to help ensure that solidarity and the fight against oppression is an everyday practice

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https://www.psychosisofwhiteness.com/

The Psychosis of Whiteness is a documentary film that sheds light on society’s perceptions of race and racism by exploring cinematic representations of the slave trade.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlRxqC0Sze4

Ted-Talk on how to accept your privilege (if your sceptical you have it)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPmcmyOlv6Q

Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie: Narratives for Europe

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2017/jan/18/the-west-was-built-on-racism-its-time-we-faced-that-video

The west was built on racism. It’s time we faced that, The Guardian,

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https://www.mangoes-and-bullets.org

This is a great website with a lot of resources on anti-racist and power-critical work (in German)